Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Chocolate vs Strawberries…

A 100 calorie snack is a perfect option to keep those hunger pangs at bay.

You could choose to have 100 cals of chocolate – about half a bar of dairy milk. Or you could have an entire punnet of strawberries.

Now I appreciate strawberries are a poor substitute for chocolate but they’re a brilliant option if you are trying to lose fat and cut calories. For 100 calories you get a large volume of strawberries, which will help to keep you full and prevent you snacking on other things. They’re naturally sweet and can help to prevent or reduce sweet cravings. You’re unlikely to eat too many of them (it’s quite hard to eat more than a couple of punnets in one sitting! 🤗).

Chocolate on the other hand won’t be as filling as it’s calorie dense so the volume of food is less. There’s a pretty good chance that half a bar won’t cut it – are you really going to leave the other half (I wouldn’t 😬) and it’s extremely easy to over consume. You could easily demolish 500 cals of chocolate without much trouble!

So if you’re looking for snack options consider fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries etc instead of the chocolate.

Of course sometimes only chocolate will do and in that case have it – just be aware of how much you’re having 🍓🍫xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

It’s only a little sauce on the side, and a bit of oil for cooking – I don’t need to track that…’

‘It’s only a little sauce on the side, and a bit of oil for cooking – I don’t need to track that…’ 🤔

If you’re hoping to lose fat in a sustainable way you need to be aiming for a deficit of around 200-300 cals a day. Most people are pretty good at tracking the big stuff – the sandwich, the packet of crisps, the porridge for breakfast etc but how often do we overlook the little stuff. That little bit of ketchup on the side, that chilli sauce on your rice, that dash of oil in the pan….

And how often when you’re trying to lose fat do you deny yourself something you really want simply because you’re ‘on a diet’. A cheeseburger comes in at around 805 cals – this is something you may not feel you can have whilst on your ‘diet’ and yet you probably don’t even think twice about the 1,284 cals you might rack up in sauces and oil (and tbh that’s a conservative estimate on the oil!). In one week that’s your whole deficit gone and you may not even realise it.

I always tell my clients to track everything – right down to the oil they’re cooking with as that can be the difference. So if you’re tracking cals and hoping to lose fat make sure you include these, and if you’re just trying to cut some cals maybe they’re a good place to start being more mindful too?

Oh and if you fancy a cheeseburger – just factor it in to your calories and have it! 🤗xx

Remember – calories count! 🤗xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

100 Calorie Snack Options

We all need a snack sometimes and these 100 calorie snacks (approx) are a few options for when you feel you need something but don’t want to spend lots of calories.

Obviously some are ‘healthier’ than others and some may be more likely to fill you up than others but remember you don’t have to sacrifice everything to lose weight/fat. It’s perfectly ok to snack on Jaffa cakes rather than blueberries etc if you want – just be aware of the calories and enjoy them!

Also remember it’s about having a diet that is balanced overall, that doesn’t mean that every item of food you eat needs to be providing a balance of nutrients. So have the chocolate or twiglets if it helps keep you on track, and just get the vitamins, good fats, protein in your other meals etc.

So a quick run down of what’s pictured.

On the sweet side:

200g Pineapple

310g Strawberries

170g Blueberries

Small Banana (100g)

Malt mini loaf (95cals)

Go bites energy balls (93 cals)

1/2 Small Dairy milk bar

2 Jaffa cakes (92 cals)

Halo Top ice cream lolly (80-110 cals depending on flavour)

Fibre one square (90 cals)

On the savoury side:

1 large hard boiled egg (78 cals)

Reduced fat hummous and carrots (105cals – nb different supermarkets vary in cals so do check)

12 Cashew nuts (17g)

Bag of Popchips

24g Bag of Twiglets (94 cals)

2 light mini babybels

2 oatcakes (92 cals)

20 Green olives (45g)

Happy Snacking! 🤗 xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

‘I’ve blown my diet – I gave in and had that Krispy Kreme…’

‘I’ve blown my diet – I gave in and had that Krispy Kreme’…..

When you’re trying to lose fat it’s natural to try to avoid ‘junk’ food or foods high in sugar and fat. And for many people succumbing to that craving for something like a Krispy kreme doughnut is then considered a failure, accompanied by feelings of guilt and shame. But had they had the Graze protein snack box they’d have been feeling virtuous and like they’d stayed on track.

In reality in terms of calories, sugar and fat the ‘healthy’ snack is actually worse! Yes the graze box has more protein (which can help you feel fuller for longer), and probably more micronutrients so is a slightly more balanced snack, but that doesn’t mean the doughnut is necessarily a bad option.

Overall calories and overall nutrition are what count – and if you’re trying to lose fat you need to be in a calorie deficit – in that scenario the doughnut is a better option. Especially if you’re eating a balanced diet and getting protein and the other nutrients in your other meals.

Emotional well being is also important and depriving yourself of foods you enjoy and instead choosing the graze box under the misguided impression that it’s a healthier option or because it’s marketed as ‘protein’ isn’t good for long term sustainability or a healthy approach to food.

Personally I’d choose both on different days – and I’d include them in my calories. The graze snacks are brilliant and do make a great snack option (as long as you’re aware of the calories) but sometimes if you’re dying for a doughnut then just have the goddamned doughnut! And enjoy it! 🍩🤗 xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Cooking Oil

When you’re trying to lose weight/fat it’s often the little things that can make a big difference. I’ve posted before about how things like condiments and oil can add sneaky extra calories without you realising it, so here’s a great swap.

People often baulk at the idea of using the oil sprays and usually the reason is that they’re not as ‘healthy’ as olive oil. Now whilst that is true to an extent it’s important we put it in to perspective.

Olive oil is a monounsaturated fat so it’s one of the ‘good’ fats that we should consume as part of a healthy, balanced diet. The fry light sprays are often sunflower oil which is commonly viewed as less healthy as it contains more polyunsaturated fats and also some saturated fat. However it actually contains 20-30 percent monounsaturated fats and only 11 percent saturated fats making it an overall heart-healthy option. Sunflower oil is a good all-purpose oil because it can withstand high cooking temperatures.

Olive oil does have one of the highest concentrations of monounsaturated fat (70-75 percent) but also contains higher levels of saturated fat than sunflower oil (13 percent). Recent studies have also shown that high levels of monounsaturated fats can be as damaging to heart health (specifically coronary artery atherosclerosis) as saturated fats. It also has a lower smoke point so isn’t as stable for cooking. It is however rich in vitamin K and antioxidants.

So there are pros and cons to both oils. It’s also important to note that if you’re using the spray oil you’re using so much less that the negative effects are much lower. Whereas a big glug of olive oil is a lot to be consuming!

So if you want to save some calories (and protect your heart health) consider swapping the olive oil for a spray oil for cooking, and save the olive oil for salad dressings etc – as part of a balanced diet! And if you’re really set on not giving up the olive oil you could always get an olive oil spray as a compromise? 🤗

Happy cooking! Xx